The invention relates to sights for use on grenade launchers, particularly grenade launchers that are attached to assault rifles such as the M-16.
It is well known to use mechanical sights to target a projectile. When a mechanical pistol sight is properly aligned, the top of the front sight should be level with the top of the rear sight, with an equal amount of light on either side of the front sight. Using this sight picture requires that the shooter focus his shooting eye so that the sights are in focus and the target is out of focus while maintaining even pressure on the barrel of the gun and depressing the trigger to fire a round. These skills require tremendous practice, with each shot fired needing the utmost concentration if the shooter is to obtain maximum accuracy. It is even far more difficult to hit a target when the projectile has a trajectory that features a curve that has a large arc as found with projectiles such as grenades.
The same problems inherent in mechanical sights face a soldier in a combat situation. While a rifle is inherently more accurate that a handgun, the stress of combat, the need to fire rapidly but accurately in order to survive is sufficient to introduce substantial errors into the sighting process. These problems are further exacerbated by the fact that most military personnel do not have sufficient practice time with their weapon to develop a high proficiency, particular in combat simulated situations. Again, this problem is compounded when the difficulty in compensating for a high arcing trajectory.
A solution to this problem for handguns has been the introduction of laser sights. This type of system can also improve accuracy using a grenade launcher. The typical laser sight is mounted on the top on the handgun or on the bottom. The laser sight, when properly aligned, places a red light dot on the target where the bullet will strike if the gun is fired. Using this type of sight enables the shooter to rapidly, instinctively, and properly position the weapon and be certain of his/her intended target. Using a laser sight enables accurate shots to be fired at distances of more than 50 feet, sufficient for most combat or law enforcement situations requiring the use of handguns.
However, prior art laser devices have several disadvantages. First, a laser sight for a standard military issue weapon, such as the M-16, mounts on the weapon, not the grenade launcher itself. Thus, misalignment or movement between the barrel of the grenade launcher and the rifle results in less accurate firing. Also, current devices do not provide a mount that can be attached to the grenade launcher without requiring a major modification of the firearm. Also, standard laser modules are specifically designed for mounting on a Picatinny rail and limited to use with just one weapon. The laser sight is boresighted to the weapon and not meant to be repeatedly removed and, if the laser module is moved to a different weapon platform, the lengthy and elaborate boresighting procedure must be redone. This is particularly true with infrared laser aiming modules and has, in large part, limited the applicability of laser sights to fixed mounted sights on specific weapons. Third, the use of a powered laser requires that a power source be readily available which has resulted in bulky units or units requiring special batteries to run.
A grenade launcher sighting assembly traditionally uses iron sights only. Such sights, while durable, lack the accuracy and ease of use found with modem laser and reflex sights.
A grenade launcher sighting assembly that can be used with various laser or reflex sights which can be used day or night, has built-in back iron sights, is attachable to the grenade launcher barrel, thereby providing greater accuracy, has an illuminated range gradient, features a lighted anti-cant indicator, and has a built-in ambidextrous pressure pad switch for operating standard military laser and reflex sights and other Picatinny mountable accessories, is not found in the prior art.
The present invention is a grenade launcher sighting assembly. A sighting apparatus for a grenade launcher having a barrel with a centerline is provided. The sighting apparatus has a mounting module that is alignable mountable to the barrel of the grenade launcher, wherein said mounting module is adapted to be attached to the barrel of the grenade launcher such that mounting module is consistently aligned with the centerline of the barrel. An adjustable range gradient is also provided. The adjustable range gradient is pivotally attached to said mounting module, wherein said range gradient has selectable a plurality of selectable positions, such that each selectable position has a yardage value and such that each selectable position corresponds to a particular trajectory wherein said grenade launcher will launch a grenade a distance that corresponds to the yardage value of selected position of said range gradient.
It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly that is useable with standard laser or reflex sights and which can be mounted on said assembly.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly that can be used with a laser or flex sight and wherein the mounted laser or reflex sight can also be used as the primary sight for the 5.56 mm rifle that the grenade launcher is mounted upon.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly that has an illuminated anti-cant indicator.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly that has a Mil-Std-1913 Picatinny rail interface where sighting devices or other accessories can be easily mounted thereto.
It is an aspect of the invention to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly that can be used with a power handgrip which supplies power to the assembly using standard, commercially available, batteries.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly that is water resistant.
It is also another aspect of the present invention to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly that has back-up iron sights.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly wherein the back-up iron sights are collapsible and provide a low profile when collapsed to prevent the iron sights from catching on brush or other obstacles encountered during use.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly where the back-up iron sights have substantial sight radius and wherein both front and rear sight positions are fully adjustable.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly having a range gradient is illuminated and has a night and day selectable setting.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly where the range gradient can be locked into position by a spring loaded mechanism and then easily readjusted by a simple lever release mechanism.
Finally, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly where an L-bracket can be added so that another Picatinny rail is provided for additional accessories such as a laser or reflex sight, flashlight, infrared equipment, etc.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a grenade launcher sighting assembly having a handgrip in which batteries are housed in a waterproof housing requiring no special tools to access.
It is another aspect of the invention to provide a handgrip which indicates the blink rate of the laser and the remaining battery life.
These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings.